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Islam in Croatia

Islam in Croatia

             

 


Mosque in Peščenica, Zagreb

Islam in Croatia was introduced by the Muslim Ottoman Empire. The Muslims constitute about 1.3% of the population of Croatia.

The Muslim Ottoman civilization conquered part of Croatia from the 15th to the 19th century and left a deep imprint. Some Croats converted to Islam. The advancement of Ottoman Empire in Europe was stopped on Croatian soil, which could be in this sense regarded as a historical gate of European civilization. Since 1519 Croatia has been known as Antemurale Christianitatis in Western Europe. The name was given by Pope Leo X.

Croatian Muslims

The historical names of many officials in the Ottoman Empire reveal their origin (Hirwat = Hrvat or Horvat, which is a Croatian name for Croat): Mahmut Pasha Hirwat (= Hrvat), Rustem Pasha Hrvat, Pijali Pasha Hrvat, Sijavus Pasha Hrvat etc. In the 16th century a traveler and writer Marco A. Pigaffetta wrote that almost everybody on the Turkish court in Constantinople knows the Croatian language, and especially soldiers. Marco Pigafetta in his Itinerario published in London in 1585 states: In Istanbul it is customary to speak Croatian, a language which is understood by almost all official Turks, especially military men.

This can also be confirmed by the 1553 visit of Antun Vrančić, Roman cardinal, and Franjo Zay, a diplomat, to Istanbul as envoys of the Croat - Hungarian king to discuss a peace treaty with the Ottoman Empire. During the initial ceremonial greetings they had with Rustem Pasha Hrvat ( a Croat) the conversation led in Turkish with an official interpreter was suddenly interrupted. Rustem Pasha Hrvat asked in Croatian if Zay and Vrančić spoke Croatian language. The interpreter was then dismissed and they proceeded in the Croatian language during the entire process of negotiations.

The mufti of Zagreb during the Second World War was Ismet Muftić. He was executed by the Partisans in 1945.[1]

Statistics

According to the 2001 census the population of Croatia is 4,437,460. Of these Muslims make up: 1.3% (57,687)

The Croatian South Slavic Muslim community, per census 2001, is divided between around 20,000 people who still declare themselves as Muslims by nationality, around 20,000 who declare themselves as Bosniaks, and around 10,000 who declare themselves Croats of Islamic faith.

The population of other Muslim minorities in Croatia (from the 2001 census) is as follows:

  • Turks: 300 (0.01%)

Population of other minorities in Croatia who have a sizable amount of Muslims (2001 census):

  • Roma: 9,463 (0.21%)

  • Albanians: 15,082 (0.34%)

Muslims in Croatia

As regards the status of the Muslim Bosniak minority, the situation is the following. On the territory of the present Republic of Croatia, Muslim believers were registerd for the first time during the 1931 census: 1,239 of them were in Zagreb and their overall number in Croatia being only about 4000. The next censuses that registered Muslim believers were as follows:

1,077 persons in 1948, 16,185 persons in 1953, only 3,113 persons in 1961. After 1971, when SFRY (former Yugoslavia) recognized the Muslim nationality to Muslim believers, the census showed the following:

18,487 persons in 1971, 23,740 persons in 1981, 43,486 persons in 1991.

On the bases of the censuses from 1931 to 1961 it is clear that a certain number of Muslim believers declared themselves as Croats or Yugoslavs. Their number augmented during immigration from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Islam today

places of worship for Muslims located in Croatia

Croatia's capital Zagreb has one of the biggest and most beautiful new mosques in Europe, although during the Ottoman Empire it had none (Zagreb was never occupied by the Ottomans).

The Mufti of Zagreb is imam Ševko Omerbašić, the leader of the Muslim community of Croatia.

Muslims are currently trying to build a mosque in Rijeka, which will be constructed so it suits the Mediterranean style of the area. Muslims also plan to build a mosque in Dubrovnik on top of the mountain behind the old town. The local council, however, has rejected this and suggested it be built behind the mountain. This, in turn, was rejected by the Muslim community. The Muslim community is also planning to build a mosque in Osijek & Sisak. A mosque in Karlovac is also being considered.

 
 

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Croatia